May 10, 2004
Should He Stay Or Should He Go?
The calls for Rumsfeld's resignation seem to be nearing the point of critical mass. i'm as yet undecided on the issue. i've always liked the guy, and i think he's been a great Secretary of Defense. i think it's unfair to blame him for what happened at Abu Ghraib, yet i understand the doctrine of accountability. The demand that he resign is mainly hardball "gotcha" politics, in my view.
Yet i don't see the demands lessening any time soon. Rummy did not make friends among the uniformed elite, with his abrasive management style. i doubt they'd go to bat for him. The left is salivating at the chance to force a resignation, because they so desperately want to recapture the power they think they had back in the days of Vietnam.
Ideally, i'd like to see Rumsfeld stay, but CENTCOM go, along with a lot of the top brass over in Iraq. Sacrificial lambs? Maybe, but i think there's plenty of legitimate criticism regarding the post "end of major combat" phase, which would justify an overhaul of the leadership now. Often in war -- and you saw this in WWII a lot -- turnover at the top is the only way to get younger, more effective officers into command positions.
However, i'm afraid that the chant "Rumsfeld must go" may get so loud that politically, Bush may have no choice but to get rid of him. Unfair as i think that would be, it might also be the best thing for our country.
Posted by: annika at
12:04 PM
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Well, I dislike his politics, but I think he's a great entertainer -- and would love to have him to run against, too. Liberals get energized by dislike of him; it would be a loss if he left.
Posted by: Hugo at May 10, 2004 05:10 PM (jdBQm)
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If he does resign, I wonder how that will affect the dynamic of the administration. The aggresiveness of Cheney and Rumsfeld tended to balance out against the studied pacifism of Powell. Rice has managed to stay in the background through most of this, and I think people underestimate President Bush's peacable nature. I get the impression that he'd rather be friends with the world, but since it isn't possible, he'll make the hard decisions and stick to them. Like I said, it's a balance, and it'll be interesting to see how it shakes out if changes are made.
Posted by: Ted at May 10, 2004 06:47 PM (ZjSa7)
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How, pray tell, do you know what's going on inside a group of which you are not a part? Only those on the inside know. This remains true in all human endeavor.
Rumsfeld is clearly the best SecDef this nation has ever had. The only mistake here was firing Karpinski too fast, and I don't think that call was made in country.
BTW, where's the foul here? I thought you folks were all for homo-eroticism?
Posted by: Casca at May 10, 2004 07:30 PM (q+PSF)
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